LENTEN SCHEDULE

March 10: The First Sunday in Lent, 8 am & 10:30 am Holy Eucharist with “The Great Litany” in Procession

Thursday, March 14: Soup Supper & Lenten Study, 6 pm

Hosted by W3 (Women’s Group) Film Discussion: The Secret of Kells

March 17: The Second Sunday in Lent, 8 am & 10:30 am

Holy Eucharist with Penitential Order

Thursday, March 21: Soup Supper & Lenten Study, 6pm Hosted by the Choir and Bell Choir Film Discussion: The Breadwinner

March 24: The Third Sunday in Lent, 8 am & 10:30 am Holy Eucharist with Penitential Order

Thursday, March 28: Soup Supper & Lenten Study, 6 pm Hosted by the Men’s Bible Study Group

Film Discussion: Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro

March 31: The Fourth Sunday in Lent, 8 am & 10:30 am Holy Eucharist with Penitential Order

Thursday, April 4: Soup Supper & Lenten Study, 6 pm

Hosted by the Altar Guild Film Discussion: Coco, Up

April 7: The Fifth Sunday in Lent, 8 am & 10:30 am Holy Eucharist with Penitential Order

Thursday, April 11: Soup Supper & Lenten Study, 6 pm Hosted by the Vestry

Film Discussion: Toy Story, 2 and 3

April 14: Palm Sunday, 8 am & 10:30 am

April 18: Maundy Thursday, 7:30 pm Foot Washing ~ Stripping of Altar

April 19: Good Friday, 12 pm †

Communion from the reserved sacrament

† Traditional Day of Fasting

Easter Sunday Worship Services

April 21, 2019 9 AM & 11 AM

A choral celebration with brass & hand bells

THE MEANING OF LENT

The word Lent is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words lencten, meaning "Spring," and lenctentid, which literally means not only "Springtide" but also was the word for "March," the month in which the majority of Lent falls.

Since the earliest times of the Church, there is evidence of some kind of Lenten preparation for Easter. While there were differences in the various regions in which the church spread, a 40-day period of Lenten prepara- tion was observed among the earliest Christians. We can safely conclude that by the end of the fourth century, the 40-day period of Easter preparation known as Lent existed, and that prayer and fasting constituted its primary spiritual exercises.

Of course, the number "40" has always had special spiritual significance regarding prep- aration. On Mount Sinai, preparing to receive the Ten Commandments, "Moses stayed there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, with- out eating any food or drinking any water" (Ex 34:28). Elijah walked 40 days and 40 nights to the mountain of the Lord, Mount Horeb, another name for Sinai (I Kgs 19:8). Most importantly, Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert before He began His public ministry (Mth 4:2).

Once the 40 days of Lent were established, the next development concerned how much fasting was to be done. Eventually, the practice prevailed of fasting for six days a week over the course of six weeks, and Ash Wednesday was instituted to bring the number of fast days before Easter to 40. The rules of fasting varied. First, some areas of the Church abstained from all forms of meat and animal prod-ucts, while others made exceptions for food like fish.

MODERN OBSERVANCE OF LENT

Over the years, modifications have been made to the Lenten observances, making our practices not only simple but also easy. Ash Wednesday still marks the beginning of Lent, which lasts for 40 days, not including Sundays. In addition to denying oneself during this season, today there is an emphasis on “adding some-thing” such as regular church attendance, doing something special for someone who could use a hand, developing a special “prayer time” or reading of Scripture, or making a personal confession. Although the practices have evolved over the centuries, the focus remains the same: to renew our faith and to prepare to celebrate joyfully the mysteries of our salvation at Easter.

GOOD FRIDAY VIGIL

When [Jesus] got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief,

and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” (Luke 22:45-46).

A Prayer Vigil will be held in the church after the Maundy Thursday Service until noon on Good Friday.

You are invited to sign up for an hour of the vigil by calling the office or signing up on the sheet in the back of the church.

GOOD FRIDAY

Tradition tells us that Jesus died by suffocation at 3 pm on a Friday and rose from the dead on a Sunday. Good Friday is the darkest of all our holy days and it is a time of fasting and penance. As the anniversary of the death of Christ, the observ-ance of Good Friday goes back to the 4th century. The name of Good Friday possibly comes from “God’s Friday,” although the exact reason for the name is unclear.

Good Friday begins at noon and includes a reading of the Passion from St. John’s Gospel. Eucharist is served from the reserved bread and wine of the Maundy Thursday Supper and Evening Prayer.

PRIVATE CONFESSION APPOINTMENTS Appointments for private confessions may be

made by calling the church office at 610-363-2363.

A LENTEN JOURNEY

Thursdays during Lent, 6 pm in Getman Hall

The Secret of Kells In the remote Irish woods, Cellach (Brendan Gleeson) prepares a fortress for an impending attack by a Viking war party. Unbe-known to Cellach, his young nephew Brendan (Evan McGuire) -- who has no taste for battle -- works secretly as an apprentice in the scriptorium of the local monastery, learning the ancient art of calligraphy. As the Vikings approach, revered illuminator Aidan (Mick Lally) arrives at the monastery and recruits Brendan to complete a series of dangerous, magical tasks.

The Breadwinner Parvana is an 11-year-old girl who lives under Tali-ban rule in Afghanistan in 2001. After the wrongful arrest of her father, Parvana cuts off her hair and dresses like a boy to support her family. Working alongside a friend, she soon discovers a new world of freedom and danger. Drawing strength from the fantastical stories she invents, Parvana embarks on an epic quest to find her father and reunite her family.

Spirited Away In this animated feature by noted Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, 10-year-old Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) and her parents (Takashi Naitô, Yasuko Sawaguchi) stumble upon a seemingly abandoned amusement park. After her mother and father are turned into giant pigs, Chihiro meets the mysterious Haku (Miyu Irino), who explains that the park is a resort for supernatural beings who need a break from their time spent in the earthly realm, and that she must work there to free herself and her parents.

My Neighbor Totoro This acclaimed animated tale by director Hayao Miyazaki follows schoolgirl Satsuke and her younger sister, Mei, as they settle into an old country house with their father and wait for their mother to recover from an illness in an area hospital. As the sisters explore their new home, they encounter and befriend playful spirits in their house & the nearby forest, most notably the massive cuddly creature known as Totoro.

Coco Despite his family's generations-old ban on music, young Mi-guel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead. After meeting a charming trickster named Héctor, the two new friends embark on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

Up Carl Fredricksen, a 78-year-old balloon salesman, is about to fulfill a lifelong dream. Tying thousands of balloons to his house, he flies away to the South American wilderness. But curmudgeonly Carl's worst nightmare comes true when he discovers a little boy named Russell is a stowaway aboard the balloon-powered house. A Pixar animation.

Toy Story, 2 and 3 Woody (Tom Hanks), a good-hearted cowboy doll who belongs to a young boy named Andy (John Morris), sees his position as Andy's favorite toy jeopardized when his parents buy him a Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) action figure. Even worse, the arrogant Buzz thinks he's a real spaceman on a mission to return to his home planet. When Andy's family moves to a new house, Woody and Buzz must escape the clutches of mal-adjusted neighbor Sid Phillips (Erik von Detten) and reunite with their boy. Their adventures continue in the two sequels to the movie.

The films will be shown in the Schreiner Classroom on Wednesdays at noon. Bring your lunch if you wish!

During our Lenten Series, we are collecting donations for our local food bank. While donations of food are always welcome, we learned in our

Lenten Series last year that our monetary donations do more for the food bank than a donation of canned goods because the food bank is able to buy

food at wholesale prices, cheaper than we can buy it. In making your donation, please consider either a monetary donation or a donation of food.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Exton The Reverend Maxine M. Dornemann, Rector 1105 East Lincoln Highway ~ Exton, PA 19341

610.363.2363 ~ stpaulsexton@gmail.com www.stpaulsexton.com ~ facebook.com/SaintPaulsExton

MARCH 6 - APRIL 18, 2019

KEEPING A HOLY